Menu

Humanoids from the Deep

A testament to Humanoids’ quality is that the dog Baron gets it; many films pull punches when it comes to man’s best friend and we can’t count how many horror films have Fido escaping the clutches of some manic — but not from these rubber-suited marauders.

According to the book, Horror Films of the 1980s, “many have complained about Humanoids from the Deep because it features several scenes of grotesque inhuman creatures vigorously humping and impregnating nubile young women.”

It’s tawdry sleaze no doubt but there’s something else bubbling beneath the surface. It’s a Roger Corman production and as he himself has said: “there is always a political undercurrent in my films.” This one’s no exception.

The plot is just as relevant today as it was in 1980, especially given what’s going on in the fisheries industry, offshore farming controversies, depleted stocks and territorial disputes with First Nations: A northern California town is set to welcome a cannery, a purported economic driver for the area. The company’s chief scientist, who’s been trying to develop super salmon, inadvertently creates something you not only wouldn’t want as sashimi but also wouldn’t want anywhere near ye: killer genetic hybrid man-fish mutations. Aren’t they the worst?

Speaking of hybrids — this is basically The Creature From the Black Lagoon meets Jaws but with gobs of nudity as the man-fish prey upon the hapless humans.

There’s a splendid poppin’ racially-heated bar fight that must’ve kept foley artists busy, that is stopped by a gunshot in the air (that’s how you know it’s a bona fide bar brawl) and the admonition “pick yourselves up and go on home!”

There’s also the classic townsfolk line “we’re not leavin’ until we get some answers!” and much more delicious dialogue:

Scientist: “They’re in the process of becoming amphibious…Look at the size of the cranium. That means they have tremendous brain capacity!…Look…webbed hands!”
Company shill: “Your theory could be totally incorrect!”